At the beginning of November 2008, I scoured the web, and posted what I considered to be The 64 Top Social Media Principles. 64 seemed somewhat unwieldy. So I spent a month scaling down that list to a more manageable number.
I then presented the 10 Principles of Social Media for Business, each in its own post. Just exploring the high-level view them and focused my thoughts.
My social media principles attempt to boil down lessons that social media embody. These can then be applied in a technology neutral way to the rest of our lives – both personally and profesionally.
These principles help us communicate and relate better. With these principles we can establish networks and understand our place within them. These principles give coherence to the creation and exchange of value. They help us build better communities and working relationships.
However, these are merely principles. As human beings, managers, and friends we need to interpret and apply them.
10 Principles of Social Media for Business:
1. Associations Have Inherent Value - Knowing more people expands opportunity and conversation
2. Information Wants to be Free - Free society runs on free information. Information hoarding is the enemy of discourse and growth.
3. Economies Have Currencies - All economies trade on specialized currencies.
4. Decentralization is Freedom - Decentralized power structures spur creativity, growth, and innovation.
5. Rules Beget Rules - The more rules you have, the more rules you make.
6. Karma is Real - You give more, you get more.
7. Context is Fluid - How you view an object today will be different tomorrow. Don’t destroy tomorrow’s value.
8. Immediacy in all Things - Strike while the iron is hot. Eat when the food is fresh.
9. Communication is Blood - Communication is the river upon which information flows.
10. Findability is Power - Unfindable information or people are irrelevant.
Note: principles are not rules, not laws, not edicts. A principle is a philosophical underpinning. You use them to guide how you build or shape a culture.
